ISLAMABAD: Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan was granted interim bail in three separate cases relating to terrorism, attempted murder and illegal foreign funding for his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, local media widely reported on Tuesday, while a non-bailable arrest warrant was issued in a third case relating to the sale of state gifts.
The ruling adds to the political and economic uncertainty plaguing Pakistan since last year when Khan was ousted from power in a parliamentary vote of no-confidence. Khan and his supporters have since held protest rallies around the country, calling for the coalition government of PM Shehbaz Sharif to announce early national elections, otherwise scheduled for October. Meanwhile, Pakistan is in the midst of a full-blown economic turmoil, from its biggest ever currency devaluation to a rash of emergency spending cuts, offering the clearest sign yet that the nuclear-armed nation faces the risk of a default unless it receives massive support.
“In the Toshakhana case, former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s non-bailable arrest warrants have been issued,” Pakistan’s largest news channel, Geo News, reported after a hearing at Islamabad’s judicial complex.
The Toshakhana reference case was a landmark decision by the Election Commission in October last year that disqualified Khan from holding public office for not declaring the proceeds earned from the sale of gifts in state possession that were received during visits abroad and worth more than 140 million Pakistani rupees ($635,000).
Khan had traveled to Islamabad from Lahore for the court cases for the first time since an apparent assassination attempt against the former PM last November. News media widely reported that after the Toshakhana verdict, Khan’s car was stopped from leaving the premises of the judicial complex.
The four charges against Khan involve attempted murder, terrorism, the misdeclaration of assets earned from the sale of state gifts, popularly called the Toshakhana reference or case, and a prohibited funding case in which Khan’s political party is accused of receiving millions of dollars in illegal funds from foreign countries.
The Toshakhana and attempted murder cases were fixed for hearing in the same court at the judicial complex while the foreign funding case’s proceedings were conducted in a banking court and the terrorism case at an anti-terrorism court.
“The banking court has confirmed Imran Khan’s bail,” Pakistani news channel, Geo News, reported. “The anti-terrorism court has also approved Imran Khan’s interim bail.”
Other than the illegal foreign funding and Toshakhana cases, Islamabad police had booked the PTI chief and scores of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party workers on terrorism charges in October 2022 after violent protests broke out following a ruling by the election commission barring Khan from holding public office because of a failure to declare assets earned from the sale of state gifts.
Another case, of attempted murder, against Khan was lodged by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) legislator, Mohsin Shahnawaz Ranjha, who alleged that a shot fired during protests by Khan’s supporters outside the ECP’s main office on Oct 21, 2022, was “an attempt on his life,” allegedly at Khan’s behest.
However, Geo News reported the former premier had also “secured interim bail from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) Tuesday in the attempted murder case.”
Khan, arguably the most popular politician in Pakistan, has repeatedly said the cases against him are politically motivated and part of efforts to disqualify him from politics.
